Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Ala., introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow members of Congress to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the U.S. except the Capitol or when in the presence of the president or vice president.
Brooks, who was at the recent congressional baseball practice where a man opened fire and attempted to kill Republican members of Congress, said in a press release it is possible that he and his colleagues may not have survived if House Majority Whip Steve Scalise had not been present that day with Capitol police for security. The shooter possessed a handwritten assassination list that included Brooks' name and office number, according to the press release.
"If congressmen or senators at the practice had firearms, there is a strong possibility that the shootout would have ended earlier than it did," he states. " [B]ecause of Washington, D.C.'s restrictive gun laws, congressmen and senators are not allowed to carry a concealed weapon. That is why [Tuesday] I introduced the Congressional Self-Defense Act to allow lawmakers to conceal carry so that they are better positioned to defend themselves against lone wolf and terrorist attacks."